Ex Smoker Advice

[DarkHorse]

It's been more than a year since I had my last cigarette. I still got the occasional craving from time to time, especially during moments of stress or sadness. Other times it came from standing with a smoker and having a drink. It never lasts very long though. Until about two days ago. It's constant, and I feel I'm going crazy. It's such a battle. I never thought it would be this bad again. Especially not after such a long time. My life is all over the place at the moment, big changes and decisions I need to make, so that fact's making it 100 times worse.

Does anyone know of any healthier alternatives? I even thought of a cigar, but that's basically the same thing, and I've heard is actually worse. Gum, food, etc doesn't help. I thought of electronic cigarettes, but as I'm not addicted to nicotine anymore, and it's all a mind thing now, I'm afraid I become addicted to the nicotine in that thing, lol.

Also, if anyone else here has been an ex smoker for longer than a year, please tell me if this is normal?

[fr0d0]

How about sugar free gum? Something for your mouth to do perhaps? I have relapses like this over other things. It just takes effort to ride them out. To me it seems a mind thing... for the change back to occur takes time, patience and no mean will power. Hang in there. You know you'll regret giving in to it

[No_God]

Do not use ecigs!!!! You'll become dependent on nicotine again.

[Rampant.A.I.]

There are non-nicotine ecig juices.

[paulpablo]

It's been more than a year since I had my last cigarette. I still got the occasional craving from time to time, especially during moments of stress or sadness. Other times it came from standing with a smoker and having a drink. It never lasts very long though. Until about two days ago. It's constant, and I feel I'm going crazy. It's such a battle. I never thought it would be this bad again. Especially not after such a long time. My life is all over the place at the moment, big changes and decisions I need to make, so that fact's making it 100 times worse.

Does anyone know of any healthier alternatives? I even thought of a cigar, but that's basically the same thing, and I've heard is actually worse. Gum, food, etc doesn't help. I thought of electronic cigarettes, but as I'm not addicted to nicotine anymore, and it's all a mind thing now, I'm afraid I become addicted to the nicotine in that thing, lol.

Also, if anyone else here has been an ex smoker for longer than a year, please tell me if this is normal?

I've done exactly what you're doing now and it made me start smoking again. I looked for any excuse to smoke something again and I bought a hookah (big pipe oriental pipe thing) and smoked that but then I got drunk while smoking it and in the end just thought fuck this and then started smoking again.
I tried so many things like only smoking while drunk or just smoking weed or whatever but then I realized the bottom line was that I just needed to quit.
I haven't smoked anything for 4 years or so now and I won't even touch the vaporizers that have just come out either. I've vowed to never smoke anything ever again.
I don't really have any advice except for DON'T FUCKING SMOKE ANYTHING, nothing, whatsoever.
It's a ridiculously difficult challenge of will power but you will feel better each year that goes by that you haven't smoked.
Some things that helped me was watching documentaries about drug addiction, think about how bad some people smell after smoking especially in damp weather.
Do anything to distract yourself even if you have to just masturbate, go online and argue, rabidly play computer games over and over.

[psychoslice]

Its not the smoking you have to worry about, its why you want to smoke, your smoking is just a way to deal with your inner pain. Maybe you need some type of counseling, or even some type of medication such as ant-depressives, you could use these until you break the habbit.

[sven]

It's been more than a year since I had my last cigarette. I still got the occasional craving from time to time, especially during moments of stress or sadness. Other times it came from standing with a smoker and having a drink. It never lasts very long though. Until about two days ago. It's constant, and I feel I'm going crazy. It's such a battle. I never thought it would be this bad again. Especially not after such a long time. My life is all over the place at the moment, big changes and decisions I need to make, so that fact's making it 100 times worse.

Does anyone know of any healthier alternatives? I even thought of a cigar, but that's basically the same thing, and I've heard is actually worse. Gum, food, etc doesn't help. I thought of electronic cigarettes, but as I'm not addicted to nicotine anymore, and it's all a mind thing now, I'm afraid I become addicted to the nicotine in that thing, lol.

Also, if anyone else here has been an ex smoker for longer than a year, please tell me if this is normal?

Its perfectly normal. I quit nicotine for almost a year once, and what made me start smoking again was stress and problems at works at the time. I've heard similar stories from a lot of others. They broke up with their partner, they had financial problems, whatever.
A friend of mine told me he managed to not start smoking habitually again once, but he did smoke one half cigarette. He had been in some sort of program for quitting nicotine. They had told him not to throw his hand if he did smoke a cigarette, like 'screw it, I might as well smoke the rest of the pack since I fucked up -- I suck, I'm a weak looser'.
No. It was only a slip. Throw the pack away and move on.
When you start feeling sorry for yourself -- that's when you're most vulnerable.
I've read and experienced that dark chocolate can help with all sorts of cravings; not just nicotine. Especially for women, apparently. It should have at least 80% cacao content.
To my great shame I still use nicotine. I just find it too hard to quit. But it's in the form of Swedish snus, which is far, far from as unhealthy as smoking. Problem is, its even more addictive.

[Cinjin]

Does anyone know of any healthier alternatives?

Im afraid not.

I quit for a year and a half and still got to a point where all I wanted whenever I had a drink was a cigarette. So I did.
I realized that unless I quit drinking, I'm always going to want to smoke. Problem solved: I only smoke when I drink. A pack of smokes last me about a week now and I never EVER smoke unless I'm drinking socially. I have strict rules about it.

Yeah, I know it's still smoking but it's a hell of a lot healthier than I use to be (pack a day) and its the only compromise that would worked for me.

Plus, I don't give a fuck what people think. "It's my goddamn body and anyone who doesn't like my life decisions can tongue-punch my fart box."

[Darth]

Fantastic, so you'll be for any smoking related health issues yourself then?

[Angrboda]

I hope you're able to remain quit, DH. Sounds like you're in an obsessional cycle and need to do things to distract yourself from the urge. I'm quit 4 years but have had a relatively easy time of it. Occasionally I want to smoke again, but haven't had a lot of cravings since quitting. If you have a good doctor, you might get a prescription to Chantix for a few months to give you time to get over the obsessional thinking. Other than that, I don't know what to suggest.

Wishing you strength and luck.